TIS and Kyoto Table Tennis Club issue digital corporate bonds
TIS, a member of the TIS INTEC Group, and Kyoto Table Tennis Club have issued digital corporate bonds called "Kaguya Smile Token" through private placement, using TIS's platform "STLINK" which comprehensively supports the issuance and management of security tokens. Kyoto Table Tennis Club operates the T.League women's professional table tennis team Kyoto Kaguya Rise, and the funds raised through this private bond issuance will be used to strengthen the table tennis school business of Kyoto Table Tennis Club.
This is the first domestic fundraising case using security tokens for private bond issuance in the T.League, and also the first issuance of digital corporate bonds utilizing "STLINK."
Background
Currently, security token offerings (STOs), a method of tokenizing securities using blockchain technology for fundraising, is attracting attention primarily in the financial and real estate industries. While most previous STO cases have involved major asset management companies tokenizing investments in urban real estate, this initiative utilizes security tokens as a fundraising method for community-based activities.
Common fundraising methods for sports teams include sponsorship contracts and donations, but these often present challenges such as unstable income making it difficult to establish long-term plans and implement strategic funding for the future. As part of its aim to achieve stable team management for Kyoto Kaguya Rise, Kyoto Table Tennis Club is planning to strengthen its table tennis school business in fiscal year 2025. Therefore, as a challenge to stimulate investment support from supporters who empathize with the club's philosophy, development, and business, they decided to implement fundraising using STO. While Kyoto Table Tennis Club has been operating table tennis schools previously, this initiative will enhance programs by expanding instruction by players who also serve as school coaches and increasing school capacity, contributing not only to sustainable sports team management but also to the development of local sports culture through table tennis and nurturing the next generation.
Key Points of the Initiative
- Utilization of Security Tokens in the Sports Field
While Kyoto Table Tennis Club was seeking a new fundraising method for their new business initiatives, they decided to implement "STLINK," which has an intuitive user interface and is easy to introduce as a SaaS model. This has enabled the first fundraising through STO in the T.League. - Initiatives for Stable Sports Team Management
While many sports teams rely mainly on broadcasting rights, sponsorships, donations, ticket sales, and merchandise for revenue, stable team management is difficult for most teams, making it challenging to undertake new initiatives. This approach aims to achieve sustainable and stable team management by allowing sports teams to gather funds in the form of "investment." - Visualization of Social Impact
The impact of projects implemented by Kyoto Table Tennis Club using funds raised through digital bonds under the theme of "development of local sports culture and nurturing the next generation through table tennis" will be visualized. For impact measurement and management, a logic model will be used to identify the changes that the business brings to the local community and establish outcome indicators. Regular monitoring results of these indicators will be reported to security token bond purchasers. This aims to promote understanding and empathy for the fundraiser's initiatives among investors, as well as foster a sense of contribution and satisfaction.
Future Plans
TIS and Kyoto Table Tennis Club will explore new fundraising opportunities for player development, construction of training facilities, and revitalization of the T.League and local communities in the future.
TIS aims to create new use cases themed around sports, regions, and social contributions to realize "investment in things with attachment and causes worth supporting" utilizing "STLINK." Additionally, TIS plans to develop systems that support indicator setting, data collection, and analysis for impact measurement and management to facilitate smoother fundraising.
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